Adler University has been selected to host an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow for the 2018-19 academic year. Lisa Rafalson, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Chair of D’Youville College’s Health Services Administration Department, has joined the school as an ACE Fellow, shadowing Adler University President Raymond E. Crossman, Ph.D.

ACE is the major coordinating body for the nation’s colleges and universities. The ACE Fellows Program is its premier higher education leadership mentoring and development initiative. Since 1965, the program has prepared nearly 2,000 higher education leaders, with more than 80 percent subsequently serving in senior leadership of colleges and universities.

“We are honored to have been selected as an ACE Fellow host institution and are delighted that Lisa will be with us this year,” Dr. Crossman said. “It is a privilege for us to be part of her growth and development, as well as to learn from her experience.”

Dr. Rafalson will be immersed in top leadership activities at Adler University. She will observe and participate in key meetings and events, and take on special projects and assignments.

“I am thrilled to have been accepted as a Fellow at Adler University and to be mentored by President Crossman as well as the senior leadership team, all of whom have warmly welcomed me and supported my learning goals,” Dr. Rafalson said. “I was attracted to Adler University because it is a unique institution in the higher education landscape and because I believe in its mission.”

Dr. Rafalson served from 2011 until May 2018 as the Chair of the Health Services Administration Department at D’Youville College in Buffalo. She oversaw five programs, developed two undergraduate programs, and has also led many college-wide activities.

After earning her bachelors from Loyola University Chicago in Spanish literature, Dr. Rafalson earned her masters and doctorate in epidemiology and community health from the State University of New York, University at Buffalo. She served as a National Research Service Award Fellow through the department of Family Medicine at the University at Buffalo. She was also selected as a fellow for the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York in 2013 and for the Western New York Consortium of Women in Higher Education in 2016.

Through partnering with a host institution, and other programmatic activities, the fellowship condenses years of learning about higher education and leadership into a single year. Fellows return home with cutting-edge knowledge of higher education issues.

“Selection as a host institution is a sign of the outstanding reputation and commitment to excellence at Adler University,” said Sherri Lind Hughes, director of the ACE Fellows Program and a 2002-03 Fellow. “An ACE Fellow chooses an institution not only for its rigorous academic environment, high-quality efforts to educate students, but also its strong desire to invest in the future of higher education senior leadership as well.”